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The Year in Pictures 2017

When I see the photograph of Donald Trump holding a fist in the air on Inauguration Day, I think first of Twitter. By the time the photo arrived on my feed, it was already encrusted with commentary from people racing to ascribe meaning to the first moments of the Trump presidency. First: Was he doing … the Black Power salute? And if so, what did that mean? Was he clueless? Racist? Or funny? To those who heralded our new president as the ultimate political jester, the pose was a triumph. To others, it was a menacing taunt to his predecessor: Look what my whiteness allows me to get away with.

In his 1936 essay “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction,” Walter Benjamin wrote that the ability to mass-produce art meant that photographs could now “meet the beholder halfway.” The newspaper allowed news photography to arrive right at our doorsteps — the fastest we could see the world photographers had captured. But on the internet, it feels as if images have the power to storm into our consciousness and start rearranging the furniture. They arrive as horrifying affronts and shimmering diversions that seem capable of remolding our thought processes and reformatting our memories.

If photographs used to be packaged only in a carefully digestible form, to peruse over breakfast or tuck into a briefcase, they now arrive in a streaming glut that can never fully be consumed. We are confronted with the never-ending task of bearing witness. Images of disaster unfolding in faraway lands arrive faster than we can figure out how to pronounce the conflict’s name or spell it from memory.

Calamities of so many different kinds and degrees — Puerto Ricans wading through hurricane waters, a burned-out California trailer park, people fleeing gunfire at a country music concert and the tortoise Lonesome George, the final known member of his species, who died in 2012, returned home to the Galápagos Islands and put on display — pile up alongside apocalyptic jokes from first-world social media celebrities, because LOL the world is ending and nothing matters. It’s appalling and flattening at once. Every caress of an iPhone screen could serve up an image of a stranded refugee or a video of a chipmunk clinging to a confused house cat. The same thing that pulls us into tragedy soothes us through distraction.

And still, photography holds the power to clarify. The so-called alt-right once seemed abstracted in its online alcoves, where white supremacists hide behind anonymous frog avatars. In Charlottesville, Va., in August, we finally looked them in the face — young white men dressed in the corporate uniform of white polo shirt tucked into sad khakis, sullying the reputation of the Tiki torch. The portraits of teenage Nigerian girls who made brave escapes from Boko Haram — their faces covered with veils, flowers or their own hands to protect their identities — are a stunning testimony to heroism in the face of unspeakable violence.

It’s a cliché to remark, at the end of the year, that the time has moved quickly and slowly all at once. But one of the dark powers of our devices is to bend time, to suck us into the screen and spit us out seemingly months later. It can sometimes feel as if the only thing that exists is the one that’s being talked about online right now. To study these photographs is to be perpetually surprised at what has just happened: The last mass shooting before the last mass shooting before the last mass shooting; the hurricane before the flood before the fires. It seems impossible, looking back at a photograph from President Trump’s inauguration, that Barack Obama was actually president of the United States earlier this year.

We can still clip out newspaper images we want to remember and press them in albums. But today, while every photograph we have ever seen feels instantly accessible at any moment, we also rarely recall them. To pause and look back is a revelation.

— AMANDA HESS

January

WASHINGTON, Jan. 20

Donald Trump arriving for his inauguration at the Capitol.

Chang W. Lee/The New York Times

WASHINGTON, Jan. 20

Barack Obama and Donald Trump during the inauguration.

Damon Winter/The New York Times

MANHATTAN, Jan. 10

Volunteers made “pussy hats” to donate to the Women’s March on Washington.

Hilary Swift for The New York Times

WASHINGTON, Jan. 20

President Trump danced to “My Way” with his wife, Melania, at an inaugural ball.

Stephen Crowley/The New York Times

WASHINGTON, Jan. 21

The Women’s March on Washington. It was the largest of many protests held around the world the day after Mr. Trump was inaugurated.

Matthew Pillsbury for The New York Times

WASHINGTON, Jan. 21

Hundreds of thousands of people marched along the National Mall to protest the presidency of Donald Trump.

Ruth Fremson/The New York Times

MOSUL, IRAQ, Jan. 16

Iraqi soldiers surveyed the aftermath of a suicide car bombing during their campaign to reclaim Mosul from the Islamic State.

Ivor Prickett for The New York Times

DALLAS, Jan. 29

Praying at the Dallas-Fort Worth airport to protest President Trump’s effort to bar refugees and people from seven predominantly Muslim countries.

Dylan Hollingsworth for The New York Times

MANHATTAN, Jan. 19

Claire Kretzschmar, 24, a member of the New York City Ballet corps, rehearsing “The Four Temperaments.”

Sasha Arutyunova for The New York Times

February

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 26

The audience reacting to a mixup at the Academy Awards. The best picture honor, first announced for “La La Land,” actually went to “Moonlight.”

Matt Sayles/Invision, via Associated Press

QUEENS, Feb. 24

Lorde, the New Zealand-born pop star, while finishing her second album, “Melodrama.”

Jack Davison for The New York Times. Styling by Mel Ottenberg. Hair by Kevin Ryan. Makeup by Tyron Machhausen. Jumpsuit by Adam Selman.

BENTIU, SOUTH SUDAN, Feb. 10

Women waited in the early morning for drinking water in a camp for displaced people. A civil war has driven millions from their homes.

Tyler Hicks/The New York Times

AT THE U.S.-CANADA BORDER, NEAR CHAMPLAIN, N.Y., Feb. 23

A woman comforted her son as his father was handcuffed. The family had illegally crossed the border into Canada to seek asylum.

Todd Heisler/The New York Times

MANHATTAN, Feb. 13

Getting up close and personal with Shelby, a Siberian husky, at the Westminster Dog Show.

Todd Heisler/The New York Times

March

JOINT BASE ANDREWS, MD., March 5

The White House advisers Stephen Miller and Stephen Bannon returning from a working weekend at President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort.

Stephen Crowley/The New York Times

LONDON, March 22

Tending to a woman injured in a terrorist attack on Westminster Bridge. The attacker was praised by the Islamic State.

Toby Melville/Reuters

LONDON, March 23

People gathered for a vigil in Trafalgar Square after five people were killed and 40 injured in the Westminster Bridge terrorist attack.

Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times

MOSUL, IRAQ, March 22

A mother grieved for her son, killed in an attack by the Islamic State. It took nine months of fighting for Iraq to regain control of the city.

Ivor Prickett for The New York Times

NEAR ALPHA, AUSTRALIA, March 27

Counting cattle at an organic farm. Its owners have spent over $1 million to insulate their operations from global warming.

Adam Ferguson for The New York Times

SANTA CRUZ, GALÁPAGOS ISLANDS, March 2

The mounted remains of Lonesome George, who died in 2012, at about 100 years old. His species died with him.

Meridith Kohut for The New York Times

LONDON, March 13

Commuters outside Liverpool Street Station, near the building affectionately known as the “Gherkin.”

Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times

April

COLUMBUS, GA., April 30

Mealtime at infantry boot camp. Eighteen women went on to graduate, becoming the first female infantry soldiers in the Army.

Melissa Golden for The New York Times

TANTA, EGYPT, April 9

Blood on the pews at a Coptic church. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for attacks that killed 45 there and at a church in Alexandria.

Nariman El-Mofty/Associated Press

LA GRULLA, TEX., April 7

Border Patrol agents ended their shift after spending hours pursuing a group of men who crossed over from Mexico.

Todd Heisler/The New York Times

MANHATTAN, April 16

Michelle and Nick White at the Easter Parade on Fifth Avenue.

Damon Winter/The New York Times

MANHATTAN, April 13

A design by Rei Kawakubo, the 74-year-old Japanese creator of the avant-garde clothing label Comme des Garçons.

Erik Madigan Heck for The New York Times. Headpiece by Julien d’Ys. Model: Saskia de Brauw

May

DENVER, May 18

Bryant Latorre, 8, playing at a Quaker church where his mother, an immigrant facing deportation, sought refuge and stayed for six months.

Todd Heisler/The New York Times

CARACAS, VENEZUELA, May 26

Protesters seized control of the city’s main highway. The country was rocked by turmoil in response to the worst economic crisis in its history.

Meridith Kohut for The New York Times

MANHATTAN, May 8

Ben Platt, the lead actor in the Broadway musical “Dear Evan Hansen,” after a performance. He went on to win a Tony award for the role.

President Trump with Vladimir Putin of Russia at a Group of 20 summit meeting. Mr. Putin denied meddling in the American presidential election.

Stephen Crowley/The New York Times

FREETOWN, SIERRA LEONE, July 31

Eight-year-old Aminata Conteh being prepared for surgery on her right eye. A bout of Ebola two years earlier left her with a cataract.

Jane Hahn for The New York Times

MANCHESTER, N.H., July 20

A man saying goodbye to his pregnant girlfriend before leaving to be treated for addiction to fentanyl. New Hampshire has more deaths per capita from synthetic opioids like fentanyl than any other state.

Todd Heisler/The New York Times

August

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA., Aug. 11

Neo-Nazis and far-right groups marched at the University of Virginia, a day before a white nationalist rally was held in the city.

Edu Bayer for The New York Times

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA., Aug. 12

During a white nationalist rally, a driver rammed his car into a crowd of counterprotesters, killing a woman and injuring at least 19 people.

Ryan M. Kelly/The Daily Progress, via Associated Press

NEWPORT, ORE., Aug. 21

Watching the total solar eclipse that swept across much of the United States and drew throngs of spectators.

Toni Greaves for The New York Times

HOUSTON, Aug. 29

Alan Kampf in the floodwaters around his house left behind by Hurricane Harvey, the third big storm to hit the city in three years.

Andrew Burton for The New York Times

HOUSTON, Aug. 30

Gerald Sam and his son Gavir at a convention center converted to a temporary shelter after Hurricane Harvey. More than 170,000 homes in Texas were destroyed by the storm.

Alyssa Schukar for The New York Times

BEAUMONT, TEX., Aug. 31

Polluted water inundated homes in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.

Alyssa Schukar for The New York Times

SAN CASIMIRO, VENEZUELA, Aug. 21

Children at the coffin of their 17-month-old cousin, Kenyerber Aquino Merchán, who died of malnutrition. The country’s economy has collapsed, and doctors are seeing record numbers of starving children.

Meridith Kohut for The New York Times

NEAR HUASCARÁN NATIONAL PARK, PERU, Aug. 29

A Quechua family harvesting flowers with Huascarán Mountain in the background. Melting mountain glaciers have made Peru’s deserts bloom, but the supply of water is dwindling.

Tomas Munita for The New York Times

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN, Aug. 25

Policemen trying to rescue a child at a Shiite mosque that had been bombed during Friday prayers. The attack left at least 40 people dead.

Omar Sobhani/Reuters

LONDON, Aug. 2

Prince Philip at his final solo official appearance, a parade at Buckingham Palace. He retired from his royal duties this year at age 96.

Hannah Mckay/Reuters

VORU COUNTY, ESTONIA, Aug. 3

Taking a dip after a visit to a “smoke sauna” in southern Estonia.

Joakim Eskildsen for The New York Times

September

MANHATTAN, Sept. 5

Listening to Attorney General Jeff Sessions’s announcement that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program would be ended, making 800,000 young people brought to the United States illegally as children subject to deportation.

Refugees scrambling off a fishing boat after arriving in Bangladesh. They were fleeing the persecution of the Rohingya minority in Myanmar.

Adam Dean for The New York Times

UTUADO, P.R., Sept. 27

Hurricane Maria destroyed this bridge over the Vivi River, forcing people to climb down using ladders and a pile of debris and then cross on foot.

Kirsten Luce for The New York Times

SAN JUAN, P.R., Sept 27

A couple dining by the light of a camping lantern a week after Hurricane Maria cut off electricity to much of Puerto Rico.

Victor J. Blue for The New York Times

MEXICO CITY, Sept. 19

Volunteers cleared rubble from a building that collapsed in a 7.1-magnitude earthquake that killed more than 360 people.

Adriana Zehbrauskas for The New York Times

MOSUL, IRAQ, Sept. 16

Nadhira Aziz sat in the dust kicked up by workers digging near her ruined home for the bodies of her relatives. They were killed in an airstrike.

Ivor Prickett for The New York Times

MAIDUGURI, NIGERIA, Sept. 21

Aisha, 15, was ordered by Boko Haram militants to carry out a bombing at an army barracks. Instead, she persuaded the soldiers to disarm her.

Adam Ferguson for The New York Times

INDIANAPOLIS, Sept. 24

Indianapolis Colts players kneeling during the national anthem before a game against the Cleveland Browns.

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

MANHATTAN, Sept. 6

The model Jasmine Tookes at a New York Fashion Week party.

Amy Lombard for The New York Times

PARIS, Sept. 27

Wearing her heart on her heel: Dior footwear outside the show for the Rochas spring collection.

Acielle Tanbetova for The New York Times

October

WASHINGTON, Oct. 24

Senator Jeff Flake, Republican of Arizona, after denouncing President Trump on the Senate floor and declaring he would not seek re-election.

Gabriella Demczuk for The New York Times

DETROIT, Oct. 27

The actress Rose McGowan speaking about the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment and assault during the Women’s Convention.

Erin Kirkland for The New York Times

KOBANI, SYRIA, Oct. 14

Friends and family mourned at the grave of a man who was killed in the battle to dislodge the Islamic State from the city of Raqqa.

Ivor Prickett for The New York Times

AT THE U.S.-MEXICO BORDER, NEAR SAN DIEGO, Oct. 30

Tijuana lies beyond the prototypes of the wall President Trump has vowed to build on the border with Mexico.

Josh Haner/The New York Times

LAS VEGAS, Oct. 1

Concertgoers fleeing bullets at a country music festival. A gunman with an arsenal of modified rifles killed 58 and injured hundreds.

David Becker/Getty Images

NEAR COX’S BAZAR, BANGLADESH, Oct. 5

At a refugee camp, a Rohingya boy held up his drawing about his flight from ethnic cleansing in Myanmar.

Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times

HOLLYWOOD, FLA., Oct. 21

Myeshia Johnson, the widow of Sgt. La David T. Johnson, who was killed in Niger, at his burial. President Trump drew criticism for his condolence call to her.

Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun-Sentinel, via Associated Press.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 19

John Kelly, the White House chief of staff, trying to keep an eye on President Trump in the Oval Office.

Tom Brenner/The New York Times

SAN JUAN, P.R., Oct. 24

More than a month after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, some schools reopened, though few had power.

Erika P. Rodriguez for The New York Times

SANTA ROSA, CALIF., Oct. 10

A mobile home park devastated by a wildfire. A wet winter and dry summer set the stage for fires that ravaged California’s wine country.

Josh Haner/The New York Times

BARCELONA, SPAIN, Oct. 1

A woman wearing a Catalan flag walked on a street strewn with ballots. Clashes and chaos marked the region’s vote for independence from Spain.

Emilio Morenatti/Associated Press

MANHATTAN, Oct. 31

Daniel Guzman, 10, rode the subway with his brother and cousins to trick or treat in Brooklyn.

Todd Heisler/The New York Times

November

MANHATTAN, Nov. 2

A gallery visitor peeking into “Longing for Eternity,” an installation with flashing lights and a kaleidoscopic effect by the artist Yayoi Kusama.

Vincent Tullo for The New York Times

BEIJING, Nov. 9

With a rope as a guide, an officer adjusted the hats of a line of honor guards before a ceremony welcoming President Trump to China.

Doug Mills/The New York Times

COX’S BAZAR, BANGLADESH, Nov. 3

Rohingya walking from the Myanmar-Bangladesh border. Over 640,000 refugees sought shelter in Bangladesh this year.

Tomas Munita for The New York Times

THE NAF RIVER BETWEEN MYANMAR AND BANGLADESH, Nov. 11

Refugees used a makeshift raft they built to escape Myanmar’s brutal crackdown on its Rohingya minority.

Tomas Munita for The New York Times

SUTHERLAND SPRINGS, TEX., Nov. 6

Crosses commemorated the 26 people who died when a man opened fire on parishioners during a Sunday service at a small church in rural Texas.

Todd Heisler/The New York Times

MANHATTAN, Nov. 13

Leonardo da Vinci’s “Salvator Mundi” on display at Christie’s two days before being sold for $450.3 million, an auction record.

Benjamin Norman for The New York Times

WASHINGTON, Nov. 14

At a House Judiciary committee hearing, Sheila Jackson Lee, Democrat of Texas, displayed a photograph of a woman who accused the Senate candidate Roy Moore of sexual assault. Behind her was a portrait of Representative John Conyers Jr., who resigned in December after sexual harassment accusations surfaced.

Al Drago for The New York Times

HARARE, ZIMBABWE, Nov. 21

A soldier on a tank celebrated the ouster of President Robert Mugabe, 93, the world’s oldest head of state, after 37 years of rule.

Marco Longari/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

MANHATTAN, Nov. 23

Members of a marching band waiting for their turn to fall into line for the 91st Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Vincent Tullo for The New York Times

MANHATTAN, Nov. 9

Maria Kashvili, 11, practicing for her appearance in New York City Ballet’s production of “George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker.”

Andrew White for The New York Times

December

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1

Michael Flynn, former national security adviser to President Trump, after pleading guilty to lying to the F.B.I. about conversations with the Russian ambassador to the United States.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

VENTURA, CALIF., Dec. 7

Firefighters monitored the Thomas Fire along the 101 freeway northwest of Los Angeles. The fire was one of the largest in California history.

Mario Tama/Getty Images

VENTURA, CALIF., Dec. 9

A hillside charred by the Thomas Fire loomed behind City Hall. Officials said it could take weeks or months to contain the fire.

Hilary Swift for The New York Times

MANHATTAN, Dec. 11

Officers walked along West 42nd Street after a would-be suicide attacker detonated a pipe bomb in a passageway connecting the Times Square and Port Authority subway stations.

Jeenah Moon for The New York Times

BIRMINGHAM, ALA., Dec. 11

A rally for the Senate candidate Doug Jones, a day before his victory over Roy Moore, the scandal-scarred candidate endorsed by President Trump.

Bob Miller for The New York Times

NEWTOWN, CONN., Dec. 2

Children at a tree-lighting celebration.

Jessica Hill for The New York Times

Amanda Hess (@amandahess) is a David Carr fellow at The New York Times, where she writes about internet culture.